Elderly Villager Embarks on a Long Walk in Protest at Bauxite Pollution

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Locals and environmentalists in Kuantan have launched several walks in protest at the pollution caused by bauxite mining. Photo Credit: boston.com

Uncle Woon, an elderly villager in Pahang, wanted to give vent to his ire over the havoc that local bauxite miners have wreaked on his home state’s environment. So one recent morning the 73-year-old set out on a 35km walk from bauxite-ravaged Kuantan to his hometown of Gambang as part of a protest march organized by a local environmentalist group called Red2Green, whose mission is to turn bauxite-reddened Kuantan green again.

Uncle Woon, a subsistence farmer, walked barefoot during the long protest march, alongside another 30 or so protesters, and he made no secret of his motivation for joining the peripatetic demonstration. “I am willing to walk this far to fight for the health of my children and grandchildren,” he explained. The elderly farmer added that he was especially concerned about extensive and widespread water pollution caused by unregulated bauxite mining in Kuantan before a three-month moratorium on all mining in the state came into effect on January 15.

A poster by the environmentalist group Red2Green is recruiting participants for its long walk to Parliament. Photo Credit: Red2Green

Reportedly, official clean-up efforts in Kuantan have been progressing reasonably well and local mine operators have been abiding by the temporary ban on bauxite mining. “We will continue the 24-hour monitoring at nine inspection centers in this district,” said Pahang police chief Sharifuddin Ab Ghani. The inspection centers have been operating around Kuantan since early January to monitor the movements of lorries used for transporting bauxite.

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Clean Malaysia is an independent online news site covering all aspects of Malaysia’s environmental landscape. We are dedicated to delivering news, analysis and opinions to both Malaysians and the international community. Our mission is to raise awareness of Malaysia as a tropical natural beauty but also to bring to light environmental dangers and encourage a debate about the future of Malaysia’s sustainable development.